full size "the 64" coming

[digdugnate]

On 10/9/2019 at 7:21 PM, atarilovesyou said:

I'm still super wary about the qualiy of the keyboard this thing is going to have. Will it feel like a more modern keyboard? Who knows. 

if the keyboard is mushy, i'm interested to see, too, how easily it would be to mod or replace with clackier keys.

[Flojomojo]

I'm gonna risk my reputation, put myself waaaaaay out there, and speculate that this keyboard might not be something that every person likes. 

[motrucker]

On 10/10/2019 at 7:23 PM, OLD CS1 said:

 

Indeed.  It has a place, and not everyone has that place for it.

You're right. Way waste all that space on any type of disk drives, or cartridges, a mouse, or.............

I know a lot of people think along those lines.

 

[digdugnate]

I'm kind of half-following the group on Facebook, but has there been a delay for the Europe release of the full-size and no official date for a US release?  Is this still the case?

[StuOhQ]

I'm hoping this is a full on FPGA clone, and not just an emulation box that's been MEGA sized...

[David Alexander]

29 minutes ago, StuOhQ said:

I'm hoping this is a full on FPGA clone, and not just an emulation box that's been MEGA sized...

I think its just a bigger C64 mini with a keyboard. I own the Ultimate 64 that is an FPGA of the original C64. So not sure at the price their selling that it would be  also FPGA based.

Edited December 4, 2019 by David Alexander

[digdugnate]

1 hour ago, StuOhQ said:

I'm hoping this is a full on FPGA clone, and not just an emulation box that's been MEGA sized...

the impression i get is that it's the Mini's bigger brother from same company- more features added to same emulator (like VIC 20 support), but bigger box and keyboard.

[Flojomojo]

I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between VICE and FPGA. Is it really pronounced? @David Alexander

[zzip]

There only reason I'm considering this over running emulation is the PC keyboard doesn't map clearly to the C64 keyboard,  and I think having the actual C64 keyboard in front of you will make more sense when playing certain games.

[Keatah]

6 hours ago, StuOhQ said:

I'm hoping this is a full on FPGA clone, and not just an emulation box that's been MEGA sized...

 

You'll get more versatility and reliability from software emulation. Not to mention more frequent updates.

 

[David Alexander]

22 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between VICE and FPGA. Is it really pronounced? @David Alexander

Hi, I guess for most people you couldn't tell the difference but I do prefer playing on real hardware when I can and FPGA is pretty close but the Ultimate 64 goes way beyond just being a C64. It has built in FPGA Dual SID, Floppy disk drives, TAPE drive, special CARTS. Plays DISK, TAPE, CART FILES etc.,

It just does so many things I can even count.

Edited December 5, 2019 by David Alexander

[Sinphaltimus]

9 hours ago, David Alexander said:

Hi, I guess for most people you couldn't tell the difference but I do prefer playing on real hardware when I can and FPGA is pretty close but the Ultimate 64 goes way beyond just being a C64. It has built in FPGA Dual SID, Floppy disk drives, TAPE drive, special CARTS. Plays DISK, TAPE, CART FILES etc.,

It just does so many things I can even count.

I am on the top of the list for the second batch of Ultimate 64 elite boards. paid in full over a year ago. I 'm very excited for it and wish it could be here before christmas, but I'm guessing sometime early 2020. 

[StuOhQ]

 

22 hours ago, David Alexander said:

Hi, I guess for most people you couldn't tell the difference but I do prefer playing on real hardware when I can and FPGA is pretty close but the Ultimate 64 goes way beyond just being a C64. It has built in FPGA Dual SID, Floppy disk drives, TAPE drive, special CARTS. Plays DISK, TAPE, CART FILES etc.,

It just does so many things I can even count.

 

Good gawd. The Ultimate 64 sounds like a dream come true! I might have to buy a 2nd (for parts) bread bin just for this purpose xP 

[Loafer]

Look at the price folks, no way that's an FPGA recreation. Even if it's using vice, there are advantages to the full size TheC64 such as connectivity to modern TV's and a nostalgic form factor.  

 

It is what it is, I just hope it's fairly bug free and leads to what I REALLY want:  an Amiga/mini/full size recreation.

[0078265317]

https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/pc/2019/12/8/21001617/full-size-commodore-64-console-pc-release-dates

[+OLD CS1]

On 12/8/2019 at 7:02 PM, 0078265317 said:

https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/pc/2019/12/8/21001617/full-size-commodore-64-console-pc-release-dates

 

"No word yet on when this version comes to North America."  🙄

[Mulletino]

Seems backers have started receiving their units. The release date has slipped three times here in Australia, with the place I pre-ordered from stating a 23rd December release now.

 

Initial reviews seem favourable, with a couple of people not happy that it doesn't have all the original ports and a splash screen with a dodgy font.

 

Still looking forward to mine arriving so I can introduce my youngsters to C64 gaming, on something that resembles a C64.

[+OLD CS1]

46 minutes ago, Mulletino said:

Still looking forward to mine arriving so I can introduce my youngsters to C64 gaming, on something that resembles a C64.

 

I like this idea: give them something less aged which can handle being handled by kids and provide them with the modern-like "conveniences" of D64s on USB, then later let them move to a real one.

[eightbit]

On 10/12/2019 at 12:02 PM, Flojomojo said:

I'm gonna risk my reputation, put myself waaaaaay out there, and speculate that this keyboard might not be something that every person likes. 

 

 

You are probably going to be correct here. I do not expect the keyboard to be great at all. Good keyboards cost money, and they will probably cut a lot of corners just to get a cheap keyboard in there that "works". I don't expect it to feel anything like the real deal.

 

But that said, I like that this company is trying to keep the C64 legacy alive in general. I mean, aside from that joystick thing a few years ago I really have seen nothing publicly available (and when I say that, I mean for the "masses"...Amazon...etc) since. At least it is out there in the form of the mini now, and sure I welcome a full size rendition. 

 

I won't buy it mind you, but I welcome it

[carlsson]

1 hour ago, eightbit said:

I don't expect it to feel anything like the real deal.

Then again, quite a lot of non-Commodore people keep mentioning how uncomfortable the original keyboards are to type on - in particular the keyboard angle on the breadbins but also generally bad tactile feeling. Personally I never knew anything else until I moved onto Amigas and eventually PC keyboards of various kinds, and my retro experience of e.g. Ataris and Apples hasn't impressed me a lot so perhaps that is just crap talk due to lack of other things to complain about.

 

1 hour ago, eightbit said:

I like that this company is trying to keep the C64 legacy alive

Yes, I was quite positive to RGL until earlier this fall when some of the people in the company showed their real selves (see Horacegate) so now I'm ambivalent towards how to feel about them, if they're good or bad.

[atarifan88]

I am trying to decide to hold out for the full size or get the mini.  From what I know, the full size won't be out in the U.S. until mid 2020 after I messaged the company and got a reply of around 6 months from now.  The things I heard about the mini make me question how good it is (i.e. joystick issues, etc).  Does anyone have issues with the U.S. version of the mini or did they get all that fixed from the European version?  Also wondering if its an issue playing games off the USB stick if you have only one port left for the joystick (i.e. some games play from joystick 1, others joystick 2)?

[David Alexander]

I see there is an importer of the C64 Full that ships to USA & Canada. https://www.shop4megastore.com/retro-consoles/the-c64-retro-console-uk-plug?fbclid=iwar0gm4m5y-tlmxo6-fa8ht_vszgjrjxxrngxrbpmxqg8jddcu53m-lzjoh4

[+OLD CS1]

I am definitely not jonesing enough to plonk down $160 to get it right now.  If they do release in the US in six months, I will take my chances on the price coming down for our release.

[atarifan88]

12 hours ago, David Alexander said:

I see there is an importer of the C64 Full that ships to USA & Canada. https://www.shop4megastore.com/retro-consoles/the-c64-retro-console-uk-plug?fbclid=iwar0gm4m5y-tlmxo6-fa8ht_vszgjrjxxrngxrbpmxqg8jddcu53m-lzjoh4

I'm thinking this will be in PAL format, so it will be useless to play in the US.

 

9 hours ago, OLD CS1 said:

I am definitely not jonesing enough to plonk down $160 to get it right now.  If they do release in the US in six months, I will take my chances on the price coming down for our release.

I agree.  However, with the mini being only $30 on Amazon, I'm thinking of trying it out in case the emulation/game compatibility for loading certain games does not go well.  I hear the best thing to do is get a USB hub so you can plug in the joystick, keyboard, and USB stick together.

[David Alexander]

4 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

I'm thinking this will be in PAL format, so it will be useless to play in the US.

 

I agree.  However, with the mini being only $30 on Amazon, I'm thinking of trying it out in case the emulation/game compatibility for loading certain games does not go well.  I hear the best thing to do is get a USB hub so you can plug in the joystick, keyboard, and USB stick together.

Hi, this is both NTSC and PAL. You can decide on the settings which region you want.